TEHTJANTEPEC 


SHIP  RAILWAY 

/ / 

"//  /w 

A REVIEW  OF  ITS  GEOGRAPHICAL,  COMMER- 
CIAL AND  POLITICAL  FEATURES 
AND  ADVANTAGES. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SEVEN  DIAGRAMS. 


f 

By  ALEX.  D.  ANDERSON, 

AUTHOR  OF  “MEXICO  FROM  THE  MATERIAL  STANDPOINT,”  AND 
“THE  MISSISSIPPI  AND  TRIBUTARIES.” 


NEW  YORK : 

BOWNE  & CO.,  PRINTERS,  124  Pearl  Street. 


3 S'5.;.| 


CENTER  OF  THE  WORLD’S  COMMERCE. 


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AS  A CENTER  OF  THE  WORLD’S  COMMERCE. 


The  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  is  a natural  and  central  gateway  for  com- 
merce between  the  two  great  oceans  of  the  world.  As  may  be  seen  by 
reference  to  the  foregoing  diagram,  vessels  can  go  from  this  Isthmus  in  a 
direct  course  to  nearly  every  important  port  of  the  world. 

In  this  respect  it  is  far  superior  to  the  Isthmus  of  Suez. 

I'he  contrast  between  the  American  Isthmus,  considered  as  a whole, 
and  that  of  Egypt  was  very  clearly  stated  in  a recent  official  report  on  In- 
teroceanic  Communication  by  Lieutenant  Sullivan  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  who  said  : “ It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  is  but  the 
center  of  the  old  continent  ; the  American  Isthmus  is  the  center  of  the 
oceans.” 

The  contrast  between  the  Mexican  and  Panama  divisions  of  the  Ameri- 
can Isthmus  is  ecpially  favorable  to  Tehuantepec,  for  vessels  coming  from 
the  Pacific  across  that  Isthmus  can  go  in  a direct  line  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi,  Galveston,  Mobile,  Pensacola,  Vera  Cruz  and  other  Gulf 
ports,  'while  those  crossing  Panama  would  have  to  take  a roundabout 
course  to  reach  the  same  destinations. 

It  is  located  midway  between  North  and  South  America,  the  two 
coasts  of  America,  Europe  and  Eastern  Asia,  and  Europe  and  Australia. 
It  is  a commercial  gateway  between  Europe  and  the  west  coast  of  America, 
New  York  and  the  Orient,  New  York  and  Australia,  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley and  the  Orient,  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  Australia,  the  Mississippi 
Valley  and  the  west  coast  of  America,  the  West  Indies  and  the  countries 
surrounding  the  Pacific. 


4 


AS  A COAST  LINE. 


Both  Mexico  and  North  America  above  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec 
are  wedge-shaped,  the  two  coasts  of  each  converging  at  that  point  as  an 
apex.  Hence  a transit  line  for  ships  across  that  narrow  Isthmus  will  prac- 
tically unite  the  two  coasts  and  make  them  continuous.  By  reference  to 
the  following  diagram  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Florida-Tehuantepec  route 
between  the  leading  ports  of  each  side  of  America,  hugs  the  coast  all  the 
way  except  where  it  crosses  an  inland  sea — the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  sur- 
rounds the  two  leading  Republics  of  North  America — Mexico  and  the 
United  States — and  is  under  the  protection  of  their  forts  all  the  way. 

The  comparative  distances  between  New  York  and  San  Francisco,  in 
statute  miles,  are  as  ofhcially  measured  by  the  United  States  Coast  Sur- 
vey, as  follows  : 

statute  Miles. 


Via  Florida-Telmantepec 4,725 

“ Isthmus  of  Panama 6,057 

“ Cape  Horn 15,672 


The  saving  of  distance  between  these  two  ports  byway  of  Tehuantepec, 
is  then  as  follows  : 


statute  Miles. 

Less  than  Panama  route  (each  way) 1,832 

“ “ “ “ (round  trip) 2,664 

“ “ Cape  Horn  route  (each  way) 10,947 

“ “ “ “ “ (round  trip) 21,894 


AS  A COAST  LINE. 


6 


AS  A SHORT  LINE  FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  THE  PACIFIC. 


The  assertion  that  an  all-water  line  between  New  York  and  the  Pacific, 
a thousand  miles  shorter  than  any  existing  transcontinental  railway,  may 
be  constructed  for  the  transit  of  ships  will  doubtless  surprise  the  general 
reader.  Nevertheless  it  is  a fact,  as  is  demonstrated  by  the  diagram  on 
the  opposite  page.  The  distances  from  New  York  to  the  Pacific  by  the 
various  routes,  is  as  follows,: 

statute  Miles. 


Florida-Teliuantepec  route 2, 232 

Panama  Route 2,315 

Northern  Pacific  and  connections 3,237 

Central  Pacific  and  connections 3,340 

Canadian  Pacific  and  connections 3,619 

Southern  Pacific  and  connections 3,709 

Cape  Horn  route 7,897 


The  saving  of  distance  between  New  York  and  the  Pacific  when  the 
Florida  Ship  Canal  and  the  Tehuantepec  Ship  Railway  are  open,  will  be  as 
follows  : 

statute  Miles. 


Less  than  Panama  route 83 

Less  than  Northern  Pacific  route 1,005 

Less  than  Central  Pacific  route  . . 1,108 

Less  than  Canadian  Pacific  route 1,387 

Less  than  Southern  Pacific  route 1,477 

Less  than  Cape  Horn  route . . 5,665 


The  above  ocean  distances  are  by  the  most  direct  steamer  routes  and  ' 
were  officially  measured  by  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey,  and  then  reduced  from 
nautical  to  statute  miles  in  order  to  make  a fair  contrast  with  the  land 
routes. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  distance  by  way  of  Panama  is  nearly  as 
short  as  by  the  Florida-Tehuantepec  route,  but  in  this  connection  the 
serious  objections  to  the  former  route  for  sailing  vessels  should  be  borne 
in  mind. 

Commander  Selfridge,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  in  an  official  report 
on  the  Darien  Ship  Canal,  said  : 

“ Lying  near  the  equator,  but  generally  a little  north  of  it,  is  a belt 
some  four  or  five  degrees  wide  of  calms,  rains  and  light  baffling  winds, 
that  separates  the  wind  systems  of  the  north  Pacific  from  those  of  the 
south.  Its  average  northern  limit  may  be  placed  at  8^^  north  and  its 
southern  at  3^^  north,  but  both  are  very  variable.  This  is  often  spoken  of  as 


Distances  from  New  York  to  the  Pacific., 


By  Rail.  Stat.  miles. 

Via  Can.  Pac.  R.  R.  & Connections 3,619 

“ No.  “ “ “ “ “ 3,237 

“ Cen.  “ “ “ “ “ 3,340 

“ So.  “ “ “ “ “ 3,709 

By  Water. 

Via  Florida-Teliuantepec  Route. 2,232 

“ Isthmus  of  Panama 2,315 

“ Cape  Horn 7,897 


YORK 


Strutlicrs,  Servuss  & C».,  Knar's,  N.  Y. 


AS  A SHORT  LINE  FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  THE  PACIFIC, 


8 


a ‘calm  belt,’  which  term  is  calculated  to  mislead  one  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  weather  to  be  expected  within  these  limits.  Neither  does  the  term, 
‘ region  of  variable  winds,’  appear  satisfactory,  as  it  does  not  express  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  weather.  ' Doldrtmis' io  be  the  correct 
word,  for  although  it  may  be  as  some  say,  ‘ uncouth,’  it  is  the  only  single 
word  that  conveys  to  the  mind  of  the  seaman  all  that  can  be  expressed  by 
saying  ‘ a region  of  calms,  squalls,  light  baffling  winds,  and  storms  of  wind 
and  rain.’  ” ^ On  this  same  subject  Captain  DeKraft,  Hydrographer  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Navigation,  has  recently  stated  as  follows  : 

“ In  order  to  reach  the  region  of  the  trade-winds,  sailing  vessels  from 
Panama,  bound  to  India,  Japan,  California  or  the  northwest  coast,  in 
coming  out  of  the  bay  and  afterward  making  the  necessary  northing,  will 
be  obliged  to  make  about  six  hundred  miles  through  variable  winds  and 
vexatious  calms,  before  finding  themselves  in  as  good  a position  to  make 
their  westing  as  the  vessels  leaving  the  coast  of  Nicaragua.”  f 

That  eminent  authority  on  the  physical  geography  of  the  sea,  Lieut.  M. 
F.  Maury,  says,  after  describing  the  winds  and  currents  around  the  Ameri- 
can Isthmus  : “You  will  observe  at  a glance  that  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
or  Darien,  is,  on  account  of  these  winds  and  calms,  in  a purely  commer- 
cial point  of  view,  the  most  out  of  the  way  place  of  any  part  of  the  Pacific 
coast  of  inter-tropical  America.”  J 

It  may  seem  to  one  unfamiliar  with  the  trade  statistics  of  the  foreign 
countries  surrounding  the  Pacific  Ocean  that  the  Tehuantepec  route  from 
New  York  to  the  Pacific  strikes  that  ocean  too  far  south.  On  this  point 
it  may  be  well  to  examine  the  commercial  records. 

The  total  annual  foreign  commerce  ( exports  and  imports  combined),  of 
the  various  foreign  countries  resting  directly  upon  the  Pacific,  and  of 
India  and  Ceylon,  is,  according  to  the  last  annual  report  of  our  State  De- 
partment, $1,725,625,000  in  value.  This  is  exclusive  of  the  west  coast  of 
Mexico  and  Central  America.  Of  this  total  foreign  commerce  ^508,249,- 
000,  or  30  per  cent.,  belongs  to  countries  on  latitudes  north  of  Tehuante- 
pec, and  $1,217,376,000,  or  70  per  cent.,  to  countries  either  south  of  the 
latitude  of  Tehuantepec,  or  in  reaching  which  one  must  sail  south  of  that 
latitude.  To  illustrate  the  point  in  another  way,  the  annual  foreign  com- 
merce of  Japan,  which  is  northwest  from  Tehuantepec,  is  $56,916,000  in 
value,  while  that  of  Australasia,  on  the  southwest,  is  $253,600,000  in  value. 


* House  Mis.  Doc.  No.  113,  Forty-second  Congress,  Third  Session,  p.  231. 
f From  letter  in  N.  Y.  Herald,  September  29,  1880. 

f Statement  by  Lieut.  Collins,  U.  S.  N.,  before  House  Committee  on  Inter-oceanic 
Canals,  February  28,  1880.  Page  41  of  testimony. 


9 


AS  A SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


The  Mississippi  River  and  its  forty-two  navigable  tributaries  border  or 
intersect  (as  may  be  seen  by  a glance  at  the  accompanying  diagram), 
twenty-one  states  and  territories,  of  which  fourteen  constitute  what  are 
known  as  Mississippi  Valley  States  These  rivers  have  a present  total 
navigation  of  15,710  miles.  The  cross  marks  on  the  diagram  indicate  the 
heads  of  navigation. 

Of  the  total  corn  produced  in  the  United  States  during  the  year  1879, 
1,263,348,700  bushels,  or  81  per  cent.,  was  raised  in  these  fourteen  valley 
states.  Of  the  total  wheat  produced  during  the  same  year  they  supplied 
289,708,550  bushels,  or  64  per  cent.  According  to  the  census  of  1880  the 
centre  of  population  of  the  United  States  is  near  the  centre  of  this  great 
valley.  But  at  present  there  is  no  direct  steamship  communication  be- 
tween the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Vessels  from  New  Orleans  to  San  Francisco  must  now  sail  around  the 
extremity  of  South  America,  a distance  of  16,018  statute  miles.  When  the 
Ship  Railway  is  complete  the  distance  will  be  but  3,576  miles,  a saving 
of  12,442  miles  each  way,  or  24,884  on  the  round  trip. 

As  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  diagram,  the  shortest  possible  way 
of  reaching  the  Pacific  from  New  Orleans  is  the  water  route  via  Tehuan- 
tepec, the  distance  being  1,080  statute  miles,  while  the  land  route  to  the 
Pacific  at  San  Francisco  is  2,495  miles. 

In  other  words,  the  Tehuantepec  Ship  Railway  will  practically  prolong 
the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  bring  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley into  direct  water  communication  with  the  Orient,  Australia  and  the 
west  coast  of  Central  and  South  America. 


m 


AS  A SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 


11 

AS  A STRATEaiC  POINT. 


The  railway  system  of  the  United  States,  which  now  amounts  to  125,- 
000  miles,  has  during  the  past  year  been  extended  to  the  City  of  Mexico 
by  the  completion  of  the  Mexican  Central  road  from  El  Paso  to  the  City 
of  Mexico.  A second  line,  the  Mexican  National,  is  already  half  com- 
plete between  Laredo  and  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  three  other  lines  are  pro- 
jected from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Mexican  capital.  These  five  lines  are 
to  be  prolonged  southward  to  Tehuantepec  by  a line  already  projected, 
thereby  placing  that  Isthmus  within  easy  reach  of  the  troops  of  the  two 
sister  republics,  should  they  ever  have  occasion  to  defend  it  against  an 
attack  by  European  powers. 

By  water,  also,  the  Isthmus  is  equally  accessible  to  the  troops  of  Mex- 
ico and  the  United  States  by  steamers  through  an  inland  sea  which  may 
easily  be  closed  against  the  navies  of  Europe  by  ironclads  at  the  two  passes 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Gulf.  These  remarkable  advantages  as  a de- 
fensive point  may  be  seen  by  a glance  at  the  diagram  on  the  following  page. 
It  is  in  this  respect  in  marked  contrast  with  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
which  would  be  exposed  to  the  navies  of  Europe. 

The  contrast  between  the  two  routes  is  equally  favorable  to  Tehuante- 
pec in  point  of  health.  As  is  well  known,  Panama  is  remarkably  un- 
healthy, and  the  sending  of  our  troops  there  to  die  of  the  fevers  which 
prevail  in  that  tropical  climate  would  be  but  little  short  of  murder.  As- 
suredly no  far  fetched  construction  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine  would  justify 
such  action. 

On  the  contrary,  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  is,  comparatively  speak- 
ing, remarkably  healthy.  In  Williams’  report  of  the  Survey  of  1851,  after 
reviewing  in  detail  the  climate,  he  concludes  as  follows  : “ The  conviction 
in  the  minds  of  those  engaged  in  drawing  up  this  Report,  and  one  founded 
on  a residence  upon  the  spot,  is  that  the  climate  of  the  Isthmus  is  a mild 
and  healthy  one,  favorable  to  longevity,  and  free  from  many  diseases  inci- 
dental to  more  temperate  latitudes.  The  health  of  those  engaged  on  the 
survey  was  unusually  good  during  their  entire  stay,  and  although  fre- 
quently, by  accidents,  wetted  to  the  skin,  and  remaining  in  wet  clothes 
the  whole  day,  and  this  occurring  on  successive  days,  with  limited  food  at 
long  intervals,  yet  none  suffered  in  consequence — a strong  proof  that  their 
health  was  due  to  the  favorable  climate.”* 

Doctor  Kovaleski,  one  of  the  surgeons  who  accompanied  this  surveying 
party,  testifies  to  the  same  effect  in  his  report.  Of  the  northern  division 
of  the  Isthmus  he  says  : I took  particular  care  to  inquire  among  the  in- 
habitants what  were  the  diseases  from  which  they  most  suffered,  and  how 


* Barnard  and  Williams’  Survey,  p.  172. 


AS  A STRATEGIC  POINT, 


strangers  settling  among  them  were  affected,  and  1 ascertained  beyond 
doubt  that  not  only  Minatitlan,  but  the  whole  plain  of  the  Coatzacoalcos 
River,  wherever  inhabited,  was  a remarkably  healthy  country.  Not  a sin- 
gle case  of  yellow  fever  has  ever  occurred  in  Minatitlan,  or  any  other  part 
of  the  Coatzacoalcos  plain,  although  in  the  years  from  1829  to  1832,  when 
the  French  emigrants  attempted  to  form  a colony  on  the  Isthmus,  the 
nunber  of  unacclimated  strangers  were  considerable  in  the  country,  and 
they  were  exposed  to  every  kind  of  privation  and  suffering.”* 

Of  the  middle  division,  or  mountainous  district,  he  says  : “This  entire 
region,  for  its  salubrity,  cannot  be  surpassed  by  any  country  whatever,” 
and  adds  that  three  villages  in  the  table-lands  are  patronized  as  health  re- 
sorts by  people  from  Oaxaca  and  other  Mexican  states,  f 

Of  the  Pacific  plains  he  continues  : “ Although  the  mean  temperature 
of  this  valley  is  higher  than  that  of  the  plain  of  Coatzacoalcos,  it  enjoys  a 
degree  of  salubrity  not  inferior  to  that  of  the  regions  of  the  mountains.! 

In  conclusion,  he  says  of  the  whole  Isthmus  : “All  these  three  regions 
together  form  a broad  surface  of  country,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the 
coast  of  the  Pacific,  of  a great  variety  of  resources  and  of  remarkable 
healthiness,  a feature  peculiar  to  the  Isthmus,  as  the  lands  on  both  of  its 
sides  are  very  unhealthy — such  as  Vera  Cruz  and  Tabasco  on  the  Gulf, 
Acapulco,  Huatulco,  and  the  coast  of  Guatemala  on  the  Pacific  shore. 
This  peculiar  and  exclusive  salubrity  of  the  Isthmus  is,  in  my  opinion, 
chiefly  due  to  its  configuration,  which  forms,  as  it  were,  a gate,  walled  on 
both  sides  by  heavy  masses  of  mountains,  through  which  pass  currents  of 
air,  that  render  the  country  they  traverse  so  permanently  salubrious. 
That  the  winds  prevail  only  within  the  limits  of  the  Isthmus,  and  not 
within  a few  miles  on  either  side  of  it,  I am  informed  from  most  reliable 
sources.” 

Surgeon  J.  C.  Spear  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  who  was  a member  of  Commo- 
dore Shufeldt’s  surveying  party  in  1870-1,  testifies  in  his  report:  “It  is 
the  boast  of  the  inhabitants  that  yellow  fever  has  never  visited  them.” 

Of  the  temperature  he  says  : “ Frost  is  never  seen  on  the  Isthmus,  and 
none  of  the  mountain  peaks  in  sight  from  any  point  have  snow  on  them, 
even  in  winter.  The  temperature  in  the  summer  never  rises  very  high, 
rarely  above  ninety  degrees.” 

If  cases  of  yellow  fever  have  occurred  during  the  past  two  years  it  is 
believed  they  were  exceptional.  The  weight  of  authority  proves  that  the 
Isthmus  is,  as  contrasted  with ’Panama,  remarkably  healthy. 


* Barnard  and  Williams’  Survey,  p.  174. 


f Ditto,  p.  176. 


t Ditto,  p.  177. 


15 


AS  A GATEWAY  TO  OUR  FOREIGN  COMMERCE  OF  THE 
SECOND  CENTURY. 


A few  weeks  before  his  assassination,  President  Garfield  said  in  an  ad- 
dress to  the  graduating  class  at  Annapolis  : “ The  Pacific  is  yet  to  be 
opened,  and  you  gentlemen  will  be  the  ones  to  scout  it  for  as.  Before 
long  you  will  sail  through  the  Isthmus  to  open  up  thfe  Pacific.”  'Phe  sig- 
nificance of  this  remark  will  be  appreciated  when  we  gUnce  at  our  trade 
statistics.  Of  our  annual  exports  81  per  cent,  go  to  Europe  and  adjacent 
countries  on  the  east,  and  but  four  per  cent.  *to  Pacific  countries  on  the 
west.  This  one-sided  nature  of  our  commerce  as  a result  of  a hundred 
years  of  trade  may  be  seen  by  a glance  at  the  opposite  diagram,  showing 
the  general  course  of  steamship  lines  as  laid  down  on  Berghaus’  chart  of 
the  world  in  1879. 

Veiwed  from  another  standpoint  the  facts  are  equally  one-sided  and 
call  for  some  immediate  and  comprehensive  steps  toward  relief.  The 
total  annual  foreign  commerce  (exports  and  imports  combined)  of  the 
various  countries  surrounding  the  Pacific  (exclusive  of  British  India), 
are  as  stated  in  the  last  annual  report  of  our  State  Department,  as  follows 
in  value: 


Australasia . 

China.  

Hong  Kong 

Straits  Settlements 

Dutch  India 

Chili 

Japan 

Ceylon 

Peru 

Philipine  Islands . . 

Ecuador ...  

Hawaiian  Islands. . 


$253,600,000 
. 223,349,000 
. 200,051,000 
138,838,000 
. 116,387,000 
. 73,582,000 
. 56,916,000 
. 43,889,000 
. 40,000,000 
. 36,845,000 
. 20,000,000 
. 11,433,000 


Total 


$1,204,890,000 


Of  this  grand  total  the  United  States  controls  but  $81, 171, 000,  or  less 
than  7 per  cent.,  hence  the  transcendant  importance  of  opening  the 
Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  to  bring  this  too  long  and  disgracefully  neglected 


16 


commerce  into  direct  water  communication  with  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
New  York  and  the  other  ports  of  our  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts,  'hhe  grand 
results  which  will  inevitably  follow  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following 
diagram  : 


ADDITIONS  TO  BE  MADE  DURING  THE  SECOND  CENTURY. 


17 

TRIBUTARY  COMMERCE. 


In  an  elaborate  paper  on  the  “ Canal  Projects  of  the  Day,”  published 
in  the  Nautical  Magazine  of  London,  in  1883,  the  author,  Mr.  Newcome, 
pays  the  following  emphatic  tribute  to  the  route  under  consideration  ; 

“To  commerce  between  New  York  and  the  East  the  advantages  of  the 
Florida-Tehuantepec  route  are  manifest,  as  compared  with  the  Panama 
line.  The  saving  in  distance  to  Honolulu  and  the  Japanese  and  Chinese 
ports  will  be  enormous — at  the  very  least  a thousand  miles  ; while,  as 
regards  local  trade  between  ports  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  those  along 
the  Northern  Pacific,  all  attempts  at  comparison  are  out  of  the  question. 
A glance  at  a large  map  of  the  world  will  reveal  the  immeasurable 
superiority  of  his  route;  indeed,  supposing  it  to  be  successfully  completed, 
it  is  difficult  to  perceive  what  commerce  could  select  the  Panama  and 
Nicaragua  routes.” 

In  estimating  the  amount  or  value  of  commerce  which  may  be  tributary 
to  the  Tehuantepec  route,  when  open,  it  should  constantly  be  borne  in 
mind  that  this  route  is  not  to  be  judged  by  statistical  precedents,  but  by 
new  conditions.  The  inter-ocean  tonnage  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  restricted  by  past  and  present  barriers  is  no  guide  for  the  future. 

Mr.  Nimmo,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  in  his  estimate,  in  1880, 
of  the  total  tonnage  which  might  have  passed  through  the  Panama  canal 
if  open,  dealt  with  the  unfavorable  conditions  of  the  past  and  present. 
For  this  reason  it  is  not  a satisfactory  estimate  of  the  tonnage  which  may, 
under  new  and  more  favorable  conditions,  patronize  the  Tehuantepec 
route. 

To  the  estimate  he  gave  should  be  added, 

First. — The  natural  increase  of  tributary  commerce  during  the  few  years 
preceding  the  completion  of  the  Ship  Railway. 

Second. — The  exceptional  increase  arising  from  the  opening  of  direct 
water  communication  between  the  Mississippi  River  and  Valley  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  At  present,  as  was  stated  on  a previous  page,  the 
total  annual  foreign  commerce  of  the  nations  resting  directly  upon 
the  Pacific  is  $1,204,890,000  in  value,  of  which  the  United  States 
controls  less  than  7 per  cent.  When  these  nations  are  brought  into 
direct  communication  with  our_Gulf  and  Atlantic  ports  the  increase 
of  trade  will  be  very  rapid. 

Third. — The  new  tonnage  arising  from  direct  water  communication 
between  the  two  coasts  of  Mexico.  At  present  there  is  no  inter- 
communication either  by  rail  or  water. 


18 


Fourth. — The  new  tonnage  arising  from  direct  water  communication 
between  Havana  and  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Fifth. — The  increased  exports  of  wheat  from  our  Pacific  States  to  Europe, 
which  now  have  to  go  around  distant  Cape  Horn. 

Sixth. — The  immense  new  coastwise  trade  between  the  two  coasts  of  the 
United  States,  which  will  inevitably  follow  the  opening  of  direct 
water  communication.  The  Florida-Tehuantepec  route,  being  the 
only  one  which  crosses  the  Gulf  and  hugs  the  coast,  will  have  in  this 
respect  an  amount  of  tributary  commerce  which  no  other  route  could 
claim. 

These  are  but  part  of  the  new  conditions  which  the  opening  of  the 
Tehuantepec  route  will  create,  but  they  are  sufficient  to  show  that  its 
tributary  commerce  is  not  to  be  limited  by  precedent. 


OPINIONS  OF  AMERICAN  STATESMEN. 


In  1847,  during  the  negotiations  between  the  two  Republics,  which 
finally  resulted  in  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  of  1848^  James 
Buchanan,  then  Secretary  of  State,  sent  the  following  instructions  to 
Nicholas  P.  Trist,  the  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  at  the  City  of 
Mexico  : “ Instead  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  stipulated  to  be  paid  by  the 
fifth  article  for  the  extension  of  our  boundary  over  New  Mexico  and 
Upper  and  Lower  California,  you  may  increase  the  amount  to  any  sum  not 
exceeding  thirty  millions  of  dollars,  payable  by  instalments  of  three  mill- 
ions per  annum,  provided  the  right  of  passage  and  transit  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  secured  to  the  United  States  by  the  eighth  arti- 
cle of  the  projet,  shall  form  a part  of  the  treaty.”* 

In  1850,  Daniel  Webster,  while  Secretary  of  State,  said  in  a letter  to  the 
United  States  minister  at  Mexico  ; “The  American  public  at  large  has  a 
great  and  obvious  interest  in  the  Tehuantepec  passage. ”t 

In  another  letter  in  1851,  Mr.  Webster  said  : “ No  one  can  fail  to  see 
how  exceedingly  important  this  communication  would  be  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Mexico.  It  proposes  to  give  her  a practical  highway  from  sea  to 


* Sen.  Exec.  Doc.  60,  Thirtieth  Congress,  1st  session,  p.  44. 
f Sen.  Exec.  Doc.  97,  Thirty-second  Congress,  1st  session. 


19 


sea.  It  opens  to  her  a communication  on  the  one  side  and  the  other  with 
the  Eastern  and  the  Western  World.  It  gives  her  access  to  the  markets 
of  all  nations,  and  makes  her,  in  short,  a central  point  of  the  commerce  of 
modern  times. 

In  1851,  President  Fillmore  said,  in  his  message  to  Congress  : 

“ In  negotiating  upon  this  important  subject,  this  Government  has  had 
in  view  one,  and  only  one,  object.  That  object  has  been  and  is  the  con- 
struction or  attainment  of  a passage  from  ocean  to  ocean,  the  shortest  and 
the  best  for  travelers  and  merchandise,  and  equally  open  to  all  the  world. 
It  has  sought  to  obtain  no  territorial  acquisition  nor  any  advantages 
peculiar  to  itself,  and  it  would  see  with  the  greatest  regret  that  Mexico 
should  oppose  any  obstacle  to  the  accomplishment  of  an  enterprise  which 
promises  so  much  convenience  to  the  whole  commercial  world  and  such 
eminent  advantages  to  Mexico  herself.  Impressed  with  these  sentiments 
and  these  convictions,  the  Government  will  continue  to  exert  all  proper 
efforts'^to  bring  about  the  necessary  arrangement  with  the  Republic  of 
Mexico  for  the  speedy  completion  of  the  work.” 

In  1857,  Lewis  Cass,  while  Secretary  of  State,  said  in  an  official  letter  : 

“ The  proximity  of  the  Isthmus  to  our  shores,  the  salubrity  of  the 
climate,  the  adaptness  of  the  ground  for  the  construction  of  a railroad,  and 
the  great  diminution  of  distance  in  comparison  with  more  southern  routes 
between  our  Atlantic  and  Pacific  possessions,  all  conspire  to  point  it  out 
as  far  preferable  to  any  other  route  outside  of  our  own  territory.” 

In  1859,  during  the  administration  of  President  Buchanan,  while  a treaty 
of  transits  and  commerce  was  under  negotiation  between  the  two  sister 
Republics,  Mexico  and  the  United  States  Secretary  of  State  Cass  wrote 
in  his  instructions  to  Mr.  McLane,  then  United  States  Minister  at  the  City 
of  Mexico  : 

“ For  these  grants  and  for  the  cession  of  Lower  California  as  you  have 
already  been  informed,  the  United  States  are  willing  to  pay  the  sum  of  ten 
million  dollars,  two  millions  of  which  to  be  reserved  for  the  payment  of 
the  claims  of  American  citizens  against  Mexico  and  the  residue  shall  be 
paid  over  to  the  proper  authorities  of  that  Republic.” 

The  transit  lines  here  referred  to  were  the  Tehuantepec  route  and  one 
or  two  lines  across  northern  Mexico  to  the  Pacific. 

In  another  part  of  the  same  letter  of  instructions.  Secretary  Cass  wrote  : 

“ But  these  works  when  completed  will  be  of  incalculable  advantage  to 
the  Republic  of  Mexico  by  the  improvement  and  prosperity  they  will 
necessarily  introduce.  They  will  facilitate  commerce  through  the  country 


20 


and  stimulate  industry  and  enterprise  to  new  exertions,  bringing  with 
them  increased  rewards.  The  completion  of  s.uch  works  by  Mexico  her- 
self, even  by  the  aid  of  public  contributions  if  necessary,  instead  of  deriving 
a pecuniary  consideration  from  the  grants,  would  be  a wise  act,  fully 
justified  by  the  results.  But  the  United  States  are  willing,  as  I have  said, 
in  consideration  of  the  benefits  their  citizens  would  derive  from  them,  to 
contribute  in  the  mode  indicated,  to  the  accomplishment  of  these  objects.” 

Of  course  the  purchase  of  territory  from  Mexico  was  an  impossibility, 
as  against  the  well  settled  policy  of  that  country,  so  the  negotiations  were 
limited  to  the  subject  of  transit  lines,  and  on  this  point  Minister  McLane 
said,  in  one  of  his  dispatches  to  the  State  Department  at  Washington  : 

“Exercising  my  own  discretion  and  judgment  I would  appropriate  five 
million  dollars  to  the  transits.” 


THE  OPPORTUNITY  PRESENTED  BY  MEXICO. 


In  her  new  material  development  Mexico  has  most  cordially  invited  the 
co-operation  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  as  may  be  seen  by  a glance 
at  the  various  railway  concessions  during  the  past  few  years.  In  a special 
report  in  1879  the  Mexican  Secretary  of  Finance  said  : 

“Facts  demonstrate  that,  far  from  the  Mexican  nation  or  the  Government 
thinking  it  dangerous  to  grant  railroad  or  other  concessions  to  North 
American  citizens,  these  have  constantly  received  them.” 

^ ^ ^ ^ 

“ The  number  of  concessions  granted  for  the  building  of  railroads  since 
1865,  up  till  this  date,  in  favor  of  companies  or  private  parties  belonging 
to  the  United  States,  shows  that,  far  from  there  having  been  jealousy  or 
want  of  will  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  with  respect  to  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  they  have  received  the  greatest  number  of  concessions  that  has 
been  granted  in  favor  of  citizens  of  any  other  foreign  nationality,  or  even 
Mexicans,  if  the  contracts  recently  entered  into  with  the  several  State 
governments  be  excepted,  admitting  that  nineteen  concessions  have  been 
granted  to  citizens  of  the  United  States,  while  all  concessions  granted  to 
persons  of  other  nationalities  since  then  are  but  fourteen,  of  which  four 
were  given  to  foreigners  and  the  rest  to  Mexicans.” 

Since  1879,  this  friendly  policy  of  Mexico  toward  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  has  been  emphasized  by  the  grant  of  many  new  and  important 
concessions. 


21 


Of  the  concessions  relating  to  Tehuantepec  the  one  to  Capt.  James  B. 
Eads,  and  at  least  six  previous  ones,  were  to  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  None  were  given  in  the  first  instance  to  citizens  of  Great  Britain, 
and  only  by  transfer  in  two  instances  did  British  subjects  secure  conces- 
sions, both  of  which  afterwards  became  null  and  void. 

The  publicly  expressed  sentiments  of  many  of  Mexico’s  most  distin- 
guished statesmen  during  the  past  few  years  afford  still  further  evidence 
of  their  friendly  feeling  and  desire  for  our  co-operation  in  the  material 
transformations  and  advancement  of  their  country. 

Sound  public  policy  requires  that  the  two  sister  republics  of  North 
America  continue  to  co-operate,  as  they  have  in  the  past,  in  the  control  of 
the  route  which  is  a connecting  link  between  their  respective  coasts. 


IMPENDINa  DANGERS  FROM  NEGLECT, 


In  1803,  when  Napoleon  I.  could  not  hold  Louisiana  Territory  against 
the  power  of  England,  he  concluded  to  sell  it  to  the  United  States. 
During  the  negotiations  on  this  subject  he  foreshadowed  his  action  by 
the  following  remark  to  one  of  his  counsellors:  To  emancipate  nations 
from  the  commercial  tyranny  of  England  it  is  necessary  to  balance  her 
influence  by  a maritime  power  that  may  one  day  become  her  rival  ; that 
power  is  the  United  States.  The  English  aspire  to  dispose  of  all  the 
riches  of  the  world.  I shall  be  useful  to  the  whole  universe  if  I can 
prevent  their  ruling  America  as  they  rule  Asia.”"^ 

In  a subsequent  conversation  with  two  of  his  ministers,  on  the  10th  of 
April,  1803,  on  the  subject  of  the  proposed  cession,  he  said,  in  speaking 
of  England:  “They  shall  not  have  the  Mississippi,  which  they  covet.” 

In  accordance  with  this  conclusion,  on  the  30th  day  of  the  same  month, 
the  sale  was  made  to  the  United  States.  When  informed  that  his 
instructions  had  been  carried  out  and  the  treaty  consummated,  he 
remarked:  “ This  accession  of  territory  strengthens  forever  the  power  of 
the  United  States,  and  I have  just  given  to  England  a maritime  rival  that 
will  sooner  or  later  humble  her  pride.” 

A similar  principle  is  involved  in  the  control  of  the  concession  for  the 


Marbois’  History  of  Louisiana,  p.  260. 


22 


transportation  of  ships  across  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  which,  as  we 
have  shown,  is  a supplement  of  the  Mississippi,  and  connects  it  with  the 
Pacific  Ocean, 

The  United  States  cannot  afford  by  inaction  to  let  a European  rival 
secure  such  a commercial  advantage. 

It  is  sufficiently  unfortunate  that  all  but  one  of  the  forty  principal  West 
India  islands  are  controlled  by  foreign  powers,  chiefly  European,  and  not 
even  that  one,  which  is  an  independent  republic,  owned  by  the  United 
States.  But  it  would  be  humiliating  to  see  England  come  inside  the  Gulf, 
which  is  nearly  surrounded  by  the  two  sister  Republics,  and  secure  com- 
mercial advantages  which  naturally  belong  to  America. 

Tehuantepec  is  for  all  practical  purposes  a supplement  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  and  a British  toll-gate  at  that  point  is  something  truly  alarm- 
ing. 

In  an  elaborate  article  on  America  in  the  North  A77ierica7i  Review  in 
1878,  Gladstone,  in  contrasting  the  commercial  future  of  England  and  the 
United  States,  said  : 

‘‘  It  is  she  alone  who  at  a coming  time  can  and  probably  will  wrest  from 
us  that  commercial  primacy.  We  have  no  title — I have  no  inclination  to 
murmur  at  the  prospect.  If  she  acquires  it  she  will  make  the  acquisition 
by  the  right  of  the  strongest  ; but  in  this  instance  the  strongest  means  the 
best.  She  will  probably  become  what  we  are  now,  the  head  servant  in  the 
great  household  of  the  world,  the  employer  of  all  employed,  because  her 
service  will  be  the  most  and  the  ablest.  We  have  no  more  title  against 
her  than  Venice  or  Genoa  or  Holland  has  had  against  us.” 

There  is  no  better  way  to  facilitate  the  attainment  of  the  “ commercial 
primacy”  here  prophesied  than  by  keeping  under  American  control  this 
supplement  of  the  Mississippi  and  key  to  the  Gulf. 


